I think it was supposed to represent the death of imagination itself. Brought on by TV. ... The neverending story sure aged well

Pft, I wouldn’t say that right away though, all I know about the Neverending Story is that OD put it as an influence of Homestuck’s story, and that it had some Gnostic things in it, so maybe you’re equating it to the TV, but it’s in actuality a broader concept that doesn’t necessarily tie to it.

But I literally know nothing about it so I wouldn’t be able to tell you.